Issue 36 2023 - Journal - Page 63
had constructed a group of structures, thematically
consistent architectural fragments, that were reflecting its
historical cultural image in a larger perspective and scale.
In conclusion, with the participation of these international exhibitions, the Ottoman Empire found the opportunity to display its cultural identity and its
industrialization process as part of the civilized world. The
cultural encounter between Europe and the Ottoman
Empire, allowed the Ottomans to do self-criticism and
shaped their future industrial vision. The participation
also served as a stage to present the existing reform and
innovation movements. This perspective played an important role in the selection of the items sent and the delegation, and observations on the image that the
Ottomans wanted to create can be followed in the British
newspapers.
From the original media material covered in this article,
it can be seen that British public press paid a lot of attention to the way the Ottoman delegation dressed, behaved
and engaged in diplomacy. The Bath Chronicle reports that
there were very few passengers aboard the Ottoman ship
wearing turbans and most of the passengers were wearing
universal style clothing of the naval officers with the exception of the red fez. Several newspaper report that the
Ottoman officers could speak fluent English and French.
This primary data from the media of the period shows that
the British reports sought after Orientalist elements in the
Ottoman delegation but mostly found Western elements.
There is a lot of praise on the hospitality, offerings and
gifts of the delegation when visited on their own ships.
In addition to the cultural exchanges, participation to
Great Exhibition also gave Ottomans opportunities to
establish further economic connections with Europe. Ottoman products were exhibited for the first time in an international fair, a new era of commercial relations with
Europe had started. The exhibition helped the Ottoman
industry to self-reflect while also understanding the global
conjuncture, to engage in a realist self-evaluation and to
develop further awareness regarding the necessity of reform. This created a driving force for new industrial
progress and improved commercial relations.
Authors
Can, Özgür Ceren
Institutional Affiliation
Ph.D Candidate - Hacettepe University, Department of
Art History
M.A. – Hacettepe University, Department of Art History
B.A. – Hacettepe University, Faculty of Fine Arts,
Department of Ceramics
E-mail: ozgurcerencan@hacettepe.edu.tr
ocan@rmk-museum.org.tr
Phone Number: (+90) 533 315 71 18
The Ottoman Empire, after the 1851 Great Exhibition,
participated in several other international exhibitions in
different cities for the rest of the nineteenth century. The
first three were in 1851 London, 1855 Paris and 1862
Berlin, where Ottomans displayed agricultural products,
manufactured products and raw materials. Once we take
into account the 1863 Istanbul, Ottoman Public Exhibition, it becomes obvious that the exhibitions were already
seen as important spaces for discussing solutions to the
problems of industrialization. 1867 Paris exhibition was
visited by Sultan Abdülaziz himself. By then Ottomans
Özütürk, Mevlüt Safa
Institutional Affiliation
M.A. Student – Middle East Technical University,
Department of Middle East Studies
B.A – Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Arts
and Sciences, Department of History
E-mail: safa.ozuturk@metu.edu.tr
Phone Number: (+90) 539 827 21 28
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